Shipping crate



F. P. HANSEN SHIP PING CRATE Fl'led Sept. 15. 1929 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 11,1981. F,-P HANSEN 1,818,800

SHIPPING CRATE Filed Sept. 15. 1929 3 Sheets Sheet 2 Z M 419' I |-1 r- F. P. i-nmsc-m SHIPPING CRATE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 13, 1929 I Patented Au 11, 1931 '7 UNITED STATES rm'rz r. HANSEN, or" PORTOLA, CALIFORNIA srrrrrme CRATE Application filed September 13, 1929. Serial in 392,445.

This invention relates to shipping crates, and particularly those which may be collapsed or knocked down and secured in that condition for returnshipment; the said invention including novel means by which the sections of the crate may be assembled for use and secured in a manner which will result in a strong and durable structure, the parts of which may be expeditiously manipulated and secured.

It is an object of this invention to providea shipping crate having collapsible sides and ends adapted to be nested between the top and bottom elements of the crate,

the nested ortions also including a shelf which is e ective to divide the crate into an upper and lower section when the crate is setup for use; the inventor further contemplating the provision of novel means 5 w vwhereby the instrumentalities employed for securing the sections in assembled positions may be utilized for holding the parts when thegcrate is knocked down or set up.

view, the invention consists in the details of construction, andin the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully. set forth and claimed. In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a crate, the same being partly in section;

Figure 2 illustrates a top plan View thereof;

Figure 3 illustrates a perspective view of one of the sidesections;

Figure 4 illustrates a perspective view of ,a fragment of the shelf or partition;

Figure 5 illustrates a view in side elevation of said crate;

Figure 6 illustrates a sectional view of a fragment of a crate; I I

Figure 7 illustrates a perspective view of one of the ends; 7

Figure 8 illustrates a perspective View of the crate knocked down;

With the foregoing andother objects in Figure 9 illustrates a sectional view thereof on the line 99 vof Fig. 8;

Figure 10 illustrates a plan view of a fragment of the bottom of a crate;

Figure 11 illustrates a se'ctional view of a fragment of one end of the crate and the shelf or partition;

Figure 12 illustrates a plan said shelf; and r a Figure 13 illustrates a sectional view 6 showing the manner of securing the doors against movement.

In these drawings 15 and 16 denote the top and bottom elements of the crate, respectively, the top member having guides '17 and 18 in spaced relation to each other, between which the crate may be loaded or unloaded. The guides act as supports for the sectional doors 19, 20 and 21, each of which has parallel strips 22 at its-ends, 71) between which slats 23 are secured. The strips 22 at' each end are spaced apart equal to, the thickness of the slats and equal to the thickness of the guiding elements 17 and '18. Hence, the doors are slidable on the guides. The slats of the door 20 are stepped with relation to the slats of'the door 21' and'they project in the spaces between the slats of'the door 21 view of the in order that'the slatsof'the door 20 may slide with relation to-the slats of the door 1 21; By considering the fasteningsby which the slats 23 are secured to the strips 22, the strips and slats constituting a door may be recognized, the fastenings 24 beingin the as" nature of rivets or nails. s

The side elements of the top-comprise a top strip 25 and a side flange 25 embraced by an angle plate 25 at suitable location with respect tothe ends of the elements and to these plates and the said elements have vertically disposed apertures 26, and'horizontally disposed apertures 27 and these apertures are intended toreceive a bolt, such as 28, as Wlll presently appear.

The underside of the top element of the crate is provided with a plurality of cross strips '29, portions 29 of: which terminate in spaced relation to the side flanges 25 and the spaces so formed between the ends of the cross strips and the side flanges constitute seats in which the upper end of the osts 30 of the sides of the crate are seated, it being shown that the sides of the crate comprise posts 30 which stand vertically and slots 31 which extend lengthwise of the sides of the crate. The ends of the crate are duplicated and they comprise posts 32 and slats 33 and the ends of the slats of the ends of the crate overlie the ends of the side slats, although this feature of the invention is not arbitrary.

The bottom 16 of the crate has side flanges 34, the inner surfaces of which are engaged by the posts of the side. he upper surface of the bottom is provided with longitudinally extending strips 35 which are spaced from the side flanges to produce a channel 36 forming a seat for the lower ends of the posts of the side of the crate, and the ends of the strips 35 are notched, as at 37, and the spaces between the wall of the notch and the end flange 38 of the bottom constitute seats for the lower ends of the posts of the ends of the crate. A cross strip 39 is applied to the bottom of the crate between the strips 35 and the said strip 39 is notched or recessed, as at l0,t0 form a seat for one of the end posts. Of course these parts are duplicated on the sides and ends of the bottom and when the sides and ends are assembled as shown in Fig. 1 the posts of the sides will belocated in the channel 36 and the posts of the ends will be located in the seats 37 and 40. The anchorage thus afforded at the bottom for the posts at the sides and ends and the anchorage afforded with thetop for such posts will serve to retain the parts assembled when tension is exerted on the top and bottom elements 41, the tensioning elements being here shown as comprising chains having ends anchored to the bettmn through the employment of rings 42, while theirupperends are connected to bolts 23 extending through an aperture such as 26 and secured in place by nuts .13 through the manipulation of which the top and bottom are drawn into close engagement with the posts so that the crate will be held from col lapsing. 7

When the crate is knocked down and the parts are assembled as shown in Fig. 9, the bolts will be extended through the rings and through the apertures 27 and when the nuts are applied to the bolts and drawn tight the crate will be held in its knocked down position for shipment or handling.

As a means for dividing the crate to produce two compartments, a shelter partition 44 is employed. The two side members 4:5 and 46 of the shelf have their ends notched, as at 47, to fit the posts at the ends of the crate and the central slat 48 has notches, such as 49, which create clearances for the center post of the end of the crate. The

side elements of the crate have vertically disposed strips or blocks 50 and 51 secured to them and their ends are in spaced relation to each other in order that projections 52 of the shelf may enter the spaces and the shelf may be held in proper position when the crate is set up. This shelf, of course, is to be assembled with the sides and ends and nested within the top and bottom of the crate when the crate is knocked down.

The sides also have a post 53 whose lower end is assembled with relation to the bottom as the other side posts are, but its upper end acts as a support for the shelf.

The slat 23 of the door 20 has an aperture 23 which is intended to aline with an aperture 24* in one of the strips 22, this being for the purpose of providing for securing the doors against movement through the introduction of a pin 2&

In a collapsible crate, top and bottom sections having peripheral flanges, side and end sections adapted to fit between the top and bottom sections in erected position, said top and bottom sections being adapted to engage flange to flange and enclose the remaining sections in knock down position, the top section and its flange being provided with pairs of apertures, one aperture of each pair being in the top adjacent the flange and the other aperture of each pair being in the top flange, each pair of apertures having their axes in the same vertical plane, rings secured to the bottom flange below respective pairs of apertures, bolts each selectively engageable in the apertures of a respective pair, and flexible elements each connecting a respective bolt and ring, said. bolts being engaged in the top apertures with the crate erected to exert tension on the flexible elements and engaged in the flange apertures to pass through the rings in knock down position.

FRITZ P. HANSEN. 

